Spectrum

The Spectrum tool is a set of 11 themed prompt decks, each designed to help Create team leaders and field teams discern wisely, create courageously, and lead faithfully across a wide range of situations - from creative media production to strategic planning, team conflict, crisis response, and spiritual direction.

Why did we make it?

Creators face plenty of decisions where the stakes are reasonably high, often cross-culturally. Whether you're shaping a contextualized film, leading a team through conflict, or praying through next steps in a frontier context. We created this tool to help our teams ask better questions - not to get quick answers, but to make space for listening to one another, local voices, and the Holy Spirit.

This is a "live" system, so it will change over time. For internal use only. 

How to use it:

1) Decide on what type of thinking is required

2) Draw a card, a few cards, or select a Quick Start Scenario

3) Discuss

Each color-coded deck focuses on a different lens (e.g., Strategy, Creative Thinking, Red Teaming, Forecasting). It's intended use is for leaders to use them:

  • During team retreats, project planning, or prayer meetings

  • To guide a debrief after outreach or production

  • To reignite creativity when stuck

  • As filters before launching something important

  • Or personally, when discerning hard decisions.

That said, I can't wait to see how else you use this!

 

What makes it unique:

We've tried to make something genuienly focused on our Create teams. As such it should be:

  • Practical: designed for teams to use in the field or the studio

  • Culturally aware: shaped by Create’s global, cross-cultural context

  • Spiritually grounded: steeped in values like prayer, obedience, calling, humility

  • Creative: especially useful in the messy, intuitive work of storytelling and media creation

  • Broad-reaching: equally helpful for leadership reflection, debriefing, problem-solving, and innovation

Deck Descriptions

Inspiration and Integration:

This tool started off as a red-teaming and debriefing tool. It slowly grew to include other aspects of decision-making as I've been working on it to be usable within our Incubator. It has lots of influences from the YWAM LDS, as well as a variety of consulting tools. Recently, The LongGameProject released their new PRISM tool, which inspired me to shift this specific project and design something that could sit alongside that one - but be specifically for our use-cases. I have added a number or new decks to the original idea, and colour-coded it to fit with the PRISM tool (using the same colours - even though they're odd). This way, you're able to use their tool and this one side-by-side if you'd like. I have completely used their "Quick Start Scenarios" as-is though, that idea was stellar just as it was. It can also be used alongside a future project that we're developing focused on Team Development (coming soon...ish). Everything else as been changed to make it our own.

AI was used to write the code for the tool and to clarify any communication that was too verbose.

    Quick Start Scenarios

    Deck Descriptions 

    Strategy

    Clarify the calling. The Green Deck helps your team define or refine your strategy - clarifying vision, aligning efforts, and identifying which steps truly serve the mission. Use these prompts to prioritize what matters most in your calling to reach the unreached.

    Forecasting

    Discern what’s ahead. The Lavender Deck helps your team prayerfully explore future possibilities - the trends, disruptions, and opportunities that could shape your ministry. Use these prompts to anticipate change, prepare wisely, and stay responsive to God's leading in a shifting world.

    Creative Thinking

    Break patterns, spark vision. The Orange Deck helps your team escape creative ruts and discover unexpected ideas by prompting playful, Spirit-led exploration. These are especially helpful in storytelling, design, and cross-cultural media creation.

    Bias

    Reveal blind spots. The Pink Deck invites your team to recognize and gently challenge common cognitive and cultural biases -especially those that affect how we hear God, work with others, and interpret cross-cultural realities.

    Analytical

    Dig deeper. The Teal Deck sharpens your team’s ability to understand problems clearly, test assumptions with evidence and prayer, and break complex challenges into discernible parts. For when deep clarity is needed before moving forward.

    Red Teaming

    Stress-test the plan. The Red Deck gives your team a framework for challenging ideas and strategies before they launch. This should help you identify flaws, gaps, and weak points with grace, truth, and wisdom. For when it’s better to catch problems early.

    Assumptions

    Check the foundation. The Yellow Deck helps uncover the unseen assumptions shaping your plans, relationships, and communication. Root your work in truth, not guesswork, by surfacing what’s unspoken and testing it before you build further.

    Debriefing

    Turn experience into wisdom. The Mint Deck supports healthy team reflection after key events or projects. These prompts help draw out lessons learned, strengthen unity, and build rhythms of continual growth and Spirit-led improvement.

    Perspectives

    Step into other shoes. The Blue Deck guides your team to see through different eyes (audiences, partners, skeptics, supporters) so that your decisions, content, and ministry strategies are truly holistic and culturally attuned.

    What If...

    Imagine alternate paths. The Purple Deck prompts your team to explore bold, disruptive, or unusual scenarios to strengthen adaptability. These questions fuel creative problem-solving and help prepare your team for the unexpected.

    Worst Case

    Prepare for the hard things. The Brown Deck helps your team confront high-impact risks with wisdom and courage. Use it to develop contingency plans that honor the mission and to build spiritual and operational resilience before crisis strikes.